Blood From a Stone (209 page)

W
ill
ow
g
r
abbed
a
ti
ssue
fr
om
t
he
coun
t
er
and
w
i
ped her
nose.
“I
t
o
l
d
h
i
m
I don
’
t
w
ant
t
o
see
h
i
m an
y
m
o
r
e,”
she sa
i
d
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
.

“Wh
y
?
H
e see
m
ed so pe
rf
ect
f
or
y
ou.”

“I
t
hou
g
ht
so
t
oo,”
sa
i
d
W
ill
ow so
ftl
y
.
“
B
ut
he
b
r
o
k
e
m
y
tr
us
t
.
H
e
li
ed
t
o
m
e.”

“Wha
t
??”
sa
i
d
S
asha.
“
I
s
he
m
a
rri
ed
or
so
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
?
”
H
er
exp
r
ess
i
on
t
u
r
ned
t
o an
g
e
r
.

“
N
o.
H
e
’
s
not
m
a
rri
ed,”
W
ill
ow
s
i
g
hed.
“
A
c
t
ua
l
l
y
,
t
hat
m
i
g
ht
be
s
i
m
p
l
er
and
m
a
k
e
i
t
eas
i
er
t
o
j
ust
k
i
ck h
i
s
ass
t
o
t
he cu
r
b.”
S
he
l
au
g
hed sa
r
cas
ti
ca
ll
y
.

“
T
hen
w
hat
t
he he
l
l
d
i
d he do?” sa
i
d
S
asha. “
I
’l
l
k
i
ck h
i
s
ass
f
or
hu
rti
ng
you.”

“I
can
’
t
t
e
l
l
y
ou.
I
w
i
sh
I
cou
l
d,
but
I
can
’t
.
A
t
l
east not
no
w
.
J
ust
l
et
m
e
g
et
m
y
sh
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
her
so
I can
w
o
r
k
m
y sh
if
t
and
m
a
y
be
w
e
can
t
a
l
k about
i
t
l
a
t
e
r
,”
she
s
a
i
d
as
she pu
ll
ed back
fr
om
S
asha.

S
asha
nodded.
“
O
k
a
y
.
Y
ou
’
d
be
tt
er
t
e
l
l
m
e
w
ha
t’
s
g
o
i
ng on.”
S
he
s
i
g
hed,
her
exp
r
ess
i
on
so
ft
en
i
n
g
.
“
Y
ou
k
now
I
’
m
he
r
e
f
or
y
ou,
ri
g
h
t
?
Y
ou
’r
e
li
k
e
m
y
s
i
s
t
e
r
.”

W
ill
ow
nodded
and
s
m
il
ed.“
Y
eah.
A
nd
I don
’
t
k
now
w
hat
I
’
d
do
w
it
hout
y
ou
so
m
e
ti
m
es.
N
ow
l
e
t’
s
g
o
t
o
w
o
r
k
. We can
w
o
rr
y
about
t
h
i
s
l
a
t
e
r
.”

S
he
b
l
ew
her
nose,
w
ashed
her
hands
a
n
d
s
m
oo
t
hed her
ha
ir
,
chec
k
i
ng
i
n
t
he
m
irr
or
o
v
er
t
he
s
i
nk
t
o
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
her e
y
es
w
e
r
en
’
t
pu
ff
y
be
f
o
r
e she
w
a
l
k
ed out
on
t
o
t
he
fl
oo
r
.

S
he
w
a
l
k
ed
o
v
er
t
o
t
he
s
t
a
ti
on
w
he
r
e
the
t
a
l
l b
r
une
tt
e nu
r
se
na
m
ed
K
a
t
y 
w
as
m
a
k
i
ng  a
f
ew
no
t
es
on
t
he
cha
rt
s be
f
o
r
e end
i
ng
her
sh
ift
.

“
H
e
y
,
W
ill
o
w
.
I
g
uess
y
ou
hea
r
d
about
t
he
littl
e
boy
i
n 556? I
can
’
t
be
li
e
v
e
it
.”

W
ill
ow
s
m
il
ed trying to allow her enthusiasm for David’s recovery drown out the hurt she felt over the situ
a
tion with Samson. “I heard! What great news.”

K
a
t
y nodded.
“
I
t
j
ust
happened
out
of no
w
he
r
e
!
I
w
as
he
r
e
…
I
w
o
r
k
ed
t
he
l
a
t
e sh
if
t
l
ast
n
i
g
ht
and
pu
ll
ed
a
doub
l
e
i
n
t
o
t
oda
y
.
I
am
so
bea
t
.
B
ut
an
y
w
a
y
….
w
e
hea
r
d
t
he
a
l
a
r
m
g
o
o
f
f
on
h
i
s
m
ach
in
e,
and
w
ent
r
unn
i
ng
do
w
n
t
he
r
e
t
o
fi
nd
h
i
m s
itti
ng
up
i
n
bed
as
k
i
ng
f
or
i
ce
c
r
ea
m
.
T
he
littl
e coo
k
i
e
m
ons
t
er had pu
ll
ed
t
he
I
V
out and
ti
ed
i
t
i
n a
k
no
t
…
t
ha
t’
s
w
hy
t
he a
l
a
r
m
s
w
e
r
e
g
o
i
ng
o
ff
!!
”